Author's Note

I realized much too late that I accidentally inserted a piece of this chapter into the previous one. So, there is a piece of what you could call "reused content" here. My deepest apologies.

Farewell to the Loyal

Tiny sat up in bed and yawned. Sleeping in bed was rather new to her. She usually had to do with a sleeping bag or even just a blanket. She had her own room too. The only one in their party to have one. One of the ponies also gifted her his satchel to keep her notes in. But most of all, Tiny felt like for the first time in her life she belonged somewhere, that she finally found others who treated her as a part of their group and wouldn’t want her to leave. Daybreaker tried acting like she did not like being her foalsitter, but Tiny knew enough to see through. Daybreaker wasn’t very good at pretending anyhow, it didn’t coincide very well with how far Daybreaker went to make sure she was comfortable and cared for. She constantly gave her work to do, most of which Tiny didn’t care for. But she did shore up what Tiny was reasonably sure was her own room at the Castle just for her, while staying in tents with her soldiers herself. The bed was old and creaky, but the bedding was new and clean. There was also very little dust around: and what dirt there was, was so old that no amount of washing would clean it.

Tiny felt welcome but not entirely comfortable. She looked at the helmet on her bedstand and thought back on what Flurry had told her. Her sister was already dead, what could she save her from?

With a heave, Tiny sat up and looked at the window. The sky was already bright. She might just catch someone right before they get to the important things they do. Tiny took her gifted satchel, dropped her notes in, and wore her helmet. Trotting down the stairs and a hallway, she was back to the main hall. To her surprise, it was significantly different from how she left it. The tents, boxes, and even creatures were all still there. But… they either slept all over the hall or were groggily walking about. Prisoners were also loose, but did nothing to escape.
Almost as soon as Tiny entered the hall, Flurry saw her and with a spark of her horn was already right next to her.

“Hey, sis…. You slept well tonight?” Flurry started, both hurriedly and awkwardly.

“Uh… yes?”

“Well, didn’t you happen to hear… oh, forget it. Look, I need your help. Again. And it’s a big one too. Again,” Flurry stated flatly. “I know I am supposed to be this almost omniscient oracle, but apparently I am bad at my job and I don’t know what to do now.”

Tiny tilted her head slightly,
“What happened?”

“A lot,” Flurry waved in the direction of the camp. “Okay, this is going to take a second to explain. So, basically, I was going to convince Nightmare to ditch the whole war thing and go take care of the buggos instead. I thought I figured out what she wanted and I could just give it to her. But I guess I was wrong. I thought she just wanted to be useful and someone to take care of.”

The suggestion left Tiny puzzled. Nightmare always told her straight what she wanted, but Tiny never stopped to think about it. Nightmare wanted to be with Luna, but she never thought further,
“Didn’t she just want to be with Luna? That’s what she said,” Tiny shrugged.

Flurry cringed,
“Well., yeeeeeeeeeeah. Sort of. That’s not the whole thing though, since she could’ve easily just gone alone and found Luna all by herself. It would’ve taken time but time is one thing that she’s not low on. She wanted to, maybe, but she couldn’t leave y'all to fend for yourselves. She knew that you needed her and trusted in her. That means a great deal to her.”

“So, what went wrong?”

“Pretty much, everything! Starting from the fact that the one who is going to take care of the Changelings from now on is Daybreaker and I have absolutely no idea how that’s going to go!”

“But you can see the future!”

“Well, yeah! But not all of it, just the one immediately ahead of us at the moment! As soon as some circumstances change, the prediction comes out wrong! But wait, that’s not the worst part. Besides the fact that Daybreaker is now the Queen of Changelings and her getting into a bucking contest with my mom, that’s still not the worst news! What if I told you that somehow, between when you went to sleep and now, Moony managed to get friendly with Mom, get the approval of the Tree of Harmony, get physical again, and also get this new godlike power that allows her to pretty much bend reality?”

“What?” Tiny asked in confusion. “What does any of that mean?”

“It means that last night our world got rolled on its head and now we gotta figure out how to behave!”

“What’s that power you were talking about?” Flurry asked with no small amount of curiosity.

“Well, I could try and guess, but honestly, I got no bleeding idea!” Flurry artistically threw her hooves upward. Tiny could have sworn she could hear a distant confetti cannon, but it was gone as soon as she heard it.
“So, what actually happened is Moony said she wanted to get in touch with the tree. She went to it and she was just gone. Daybreaker flipped out and knocked out Mom. Moony then comes back in a swanky new body with jewelry the size of your snout hanging all over her and gets her to stop. She then casually goes upstairs and starts just pulling food out of thin air. And drinks too, that’s why everyone here’s so hung over that they can’t stand straight. She then went straight back to the airbase, which it turns out somebody had attacked it tonight, killed everyone who didn’t surrender, and then straight up resurrected Shadow from the dead in front of gobsmacked Twilight. I wish you could’ve seen her face,” the faintest trace of a smile appeared on Flurry’s lips.
“I have no idea what’s going on and whether this is even Nightmare anymore. She dropped the first part of her name and now just calls herself Moon. She can’t explain anything either. She just says that she unlocked the true potential of dreamwalking - that’s Luna’s second power, the one she got aside from controlling celestial bodies in the sky. That doesn’t explain how she does any of that stuff though. She just opens a portal to somewhere and pulls it out. Looks really impressive, but I am scared out of my mind, to be honest with you.”

"...Why?" As much as Tiny was bewildered at how much had changed in just a few hours, she saw no issue. Now that Moon was alive again and had this much power, surely she could help everyone.

"Because now we have to go along with whatever she decides to do! We can't stop her anymore if she does something bad! I don't think anyone can! Even if all of us and Luna get together, we can't do anything to her! We can blast her to bits, and she'll be back in a few minutes at most! And that's being generous because she now does not even seem to feel bullets hitting her; I doubt spells will be much better.
"This isn't good! No one should have this much power! Anyone can make mistakes, and Nightmare would've been the first one to admit that! Whoever this is, she doesn't seem like she agrees."

"Can't you just see what she's going to do? Maybe you can't know for sure, but you can know what she wants, right?"

Flurry sighed,
"Well, I already do, kind of. She says she'll solve everyone's problems, build everyone a palace, that sort of thing. I think she means it, but this kind of stuff doesn't normally work out, you know? I mean, regardless of the amount of power you have, just look at me. Look… what I wanna ask is: can you talk to her? Just figure out what happens next. You can sense ponies' feelings way better than I. I am just really worried that this is gonna go very wrong, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I feel like I've messed up one too many times, you understand?"

"A-alright," Tiny agreed. "Where is Moon now?"

"Give me a sec," Flurry closed her eyes and sat down in silence. "Airfield, trying to talk some new prisoners she's got into joining her… Isn't working out very well, so I think she's a tad annoyed. I'll send you now."

Tiny nodded, there wasn't any time for breakfast she thought with regret. In a moment she was out on the concrete. After momentarily being stunned at the amount of destruction the battle wreaked, she started looking for her sister. There wasn't much commotion at all, surprisingly. The mood seemed to be rather merry. She kept stumbling upon grinning ponies and some rather confused-looking changelings, until someone pointed her to where Moon was. She found Moon in a hangar, and the first thing that struck her wrong was her coat. Moon was as tall as Tiny expected her to be… not as tall as Daybreaker, but tall. Her coat was the wrong color, though. Her barrel was black with white spots that glittered under her airy dress. Her wings had snow-white tips, while her legs were more blue than black.

Moon first turned her ear, then her head; her eyes looked the same at least, even down to the glow.

"Sister!" Moon exclaimed gladly, starting to trot. "I am so glad you are unharmed! Daybreaker told me you were safe, but I couldn't leave to check…" she glanced over her shoulder at about a dozen tied-up ponies in unfamiliar uniforms. "I have such wonders to show you!"

"Uh…" Tiny awkwardly accepted Moon's embrace. "This feels weird."

"You can say that again, little missy," one of the ponies said.

"I always enjoyed doing this," Moon assured. "I quite missed holding my dear sister and Luna. Now, the only thing that's missing is a nice, warm bath… Speaking of which. You all could use one, too. When was the last time you felt the touch of water, little sister?"

"Uhh…" Tiny couldn't remember, which Moon seemed to read.

"Oh, this simply won't do."

"Don't you have important things to do?" Tiny asked, deliberately making as few motions as possible.

"Well, I suppose I could dig up those unfortunate casualties from before and reverse that horrible misunderstanding…" Moon muzingly said. "But we have time for that later. For anything, practically."

"So… you are alive now?" Tiny decided to get to the point. Moon suddenly let her go and stepped back. She then proceeded to elegantly spin in place as if dancing.

"I quite enjoyed crafting this aesthetic; do you approve?" Moon asked with a smile.

"Uh… Yes… What happened?"

"Well, that would be somewhat difficult to explain. You see, I believe I am still dreaming," Tiny felt like her head was a bell and Moon just rang. "Well, at least a part of me. You see, I am the mistress of the dreamrealm, despite me being technically dead. The only thing that changed is that I could not enter it. When the Tree of Harmony sent me to the dreamrealm, I could still shape it in whichever way I wanted. But now that I no longer have a physical body, I am no longer tied to the material world either." Moon proceeded to open a shimmering purple tear in space itself; a magnificent marble bath appeared in the ground where there was nothing but concrete before.

"Being dead has advantages; since I have nothing to lose from such a transition, I can freely move between the dreamrealm and the waking world without the unfortunate loss of life that would usually be entailed. To me, dream and reality are no longer separate."

Moon reached into the bath, and Tiny heard water splash. "Ah… perfect temperature."

"Can… I do that too?!" Tiny bleated out, starting to doubt whether she herself was awake.

"To some degree, I believe. You may not be able to move between the dreams and reality on your own: but inside your own dream, you can do anything you imagine. While I, however, could transport it into the realspace. Do you see now what a waste your resistance is?" She impassionately asked the tied-up ponies. "I can literally make all your dreams real, and the only thing I ask of you is that you help me share this gift with others. We can create a world where no one needs to suffer for their bread, where everyone has anything they desire. You have resisted this far, as your honor demanded. There is no need for you to reject my offer now."

"Loyalty," one of them blurted out.

"Hmm… I know someone who would agree with you," Moon mused. "Speaking of which, I have a promise to fulfill. I would have to leave you for a moment," Moon ignited her horn, and the ropes that were binding the ponies fell to the ground. "Go and find yourselves a place to stay. You may freely leave if you so desire, but I think you might not want to once you see the true depth of what I promise you," Moon finished with a sly smile. "Now, sister, I would like you to accompany me. It has been too long since I had a moment to spend with you and no one else. Just a moment…"

Moon ignited her horn again, and Tiny felt the telltale twisting in her stomach as reality warped around them. Less than a second later, they were already on a crystal-paved road.

"Now then, we should go find Rainbow Dash. I promised to help her when I could… and now would be that time. While we search, tell me about how you have been doing. I hope Daybreaker was not too harsh."

"No," Tiny quickly started walking beside Moon, who leisurely strolled down the road. "She was surprisingly nice."

"Was she? Well, I suppose she is a sweetheart when she doesn't feel the need to seem strong... very loyal and attentive to her friends. Has she taught you anything useful?"

"A lot!" Tiny excitedly exclaimed. "She taught me how to double the spell I cast!"

"Oh…" Moon cringed lightly. "Well, I suppose I did tell her to only teach you safe spells from my book, and that one itself can do no harm."

Moon momentarily looked away to look at a pony staring at them as they walked past,

"You know, I always dreamed of a day when I'd have time to simply walk down the street at my leisure. Unconcerned over the fate of my realm or any other troubles I have. This is… somewhat of a new experience to me. What did ponies do to enjoy themselves in your hometown?"

The question took Tiny off guard. She remembered seeing ponies going to "have a drink".

"I did not have much of an opportunity to find out," Tiny admitted. "My host was a homeless orphan."

"A tragedy," Moon sadly added. "I hope that one day he could find a better life. Now I can see to it that he gets an opportunity, at least. As much as I would like all of our kin to experience the joy of being close to their host... in practice, the host does not usually react well to discovering our kind's presence. It feels very wrong to a pony to feel someone else inside their own mind. Mayhaps it would be better to keep what has truly transpired a secret. A body is a very personal thing. No one will be able to tell what exactly your host will do upon seeing his own doppelganger peering back at him."

"Let's do that some other time, please," Tiny asked.

"Of course. We have all the time in the world now."

"There's something else. Flurry says you have too much power now," Tiny admitted.

"Understandable," Moon nodded. "But the prudency of that discussion is now long past. The dream realm was always my domain, and I can relinquish it no more now than I can cease to be. Flurry Heart wishes for what's best, but she cannot accept that things are very often out of our control, regardless of what power we possess. She will accept the new status-quo. She has no choice."

"What about everyone else?"

"As shocked as Twilight, Celestia, and Daybreaker were to witness my new abilities, they seemed to be more amazed than afraid of them. Twilight would not cease begging me to let her test my limits. It seems in her excitement, she has forgotten the mortal danger that manipulating reality would pose if abused."

Tiny wanted to ask another question, but before she could, someone called out to them,

"Hey!'' Before Tiny could turn her head towards the voice, the prismatic wave of colors streaked towards her, followed by a gust of wind. Rainbow Dash found them first, just as they were to enter their old camp.

"How are you…?" the pegasus squinted her eyes, curiously looking over Moon's new form.

"Greetings, Rainbow Dash," Moon slightly bowed her head in a formal greeting. "I am flattered that you would recognize me regardless of what body I create. I have come to fulfill my vow to you."

Rainbow's brows momentarily jumped, as if she was surprised that Moon didn't forget, "About time. Let's get to it. Lodge's this way."

"Of course… but before you depart, I wish you to have something. There is a great debt that I owe to you that I feel I should pay while I have an opportunity."

Rainbow frowned,
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but you really can't do anything more for me besides just get me home. I just want to go back to the life that I had."

"I understand. Yet I ask that you humor me. I may never be able to undo the harm I have done to you and your friends, but I can do this much." A purple rift opened, and a small divination sphere floated forth.

"I will craft one such for every one of your friends when I find them. This way, you will be able to speak and see each other over any distance."

"We aren't on speaking terms, mostly."

Moon nodded and silently held the sphere out regardless. Rainbow stood still for a long time, hesitating whether to take the gift or reject it. Eventually, she took it and placed it in her bag. Neither Moon nor Rainbow said a word, and the three of them continued further.

"Do you need to make a circle or something?" Rainbow asked once they reached the outskirts of the camp.

"No. My magic is not of arcane origin. I need not abide by the same rules."

"Right then. Give me a second, I need to fetch Snowstrike and… say goodbyes."

Moon nodded,
"I can give you the means to visit whenever you wish as well… if you would accept another gift."

Rainbow looked at Moon incredulously for a second before realizing that the offer was entirely serious,
"How exactly are you going to arrange that? I do need a unicorn to cast that kind of magic."

"It is just like I said," Moon opened another rift, summoning forth a large stone platform and a small, unremarkable amulet of bluish metal. "My magic is not of arcane origin. This is comprised entirely of dreams that I mold in a shape that I see fit and then transport into the world. This amulet is tuned to your voice. Simply lay it on the ground and speak your desire. It will transport you here, you may bring others with you as well, if you choose. It will not decay or lose power as long as you have it. To a thief, it will be a mere trinket. I would shower you in such gifts if I knew that they would be of any relief to you, but we both know that such dependency on me will only bring you anxiety, even if I vow never to leverage it."

"Hmph…" Rainbow huffed. "You learned new tricks."

"Rather reinvented the old ones. I am glad that I only did so now. I would have misused this power if I was any younger."

"And you are saying that now you are just good enough to always know the right way?"

"No. Merely that I know of a way to use it for good. I could easily make you bend your knee to me and eagerly kill for my desires, but that would only bring me misery to know that I could have turned from evil, and yet I did not. Rarity once said that evil is miserable, and to that one thing I can attest even beyond your doubt, I imagine."

"Hhmm…" Rainbow glanced at the bag where the sphere was stored and fondled the amulet on her neck.

"Thanks," Rainbow muttered.

"I can rejuvenate your body and soul so that you could participate in your favorite contest again, just like you did when you were barely any younger than my sister here. I can build you a track that no athlete could ever even imagine. I can reach every single one of the Wonderbolts and assemble them to fly again for the cheer of the crowd of happy colts and fillies. I can even bring your friends back from the cold sleep if you were to show me where their graves are.
"There is no limit to the blessings that I offer if you were only to ask for them. I want no pledges of loyalty or payment in return, for I have no need of either any longer. I will send you on your way if that is what you desire the most. But just imagine what wonders I could create for all ponykind here. Equestria can be a place of eternal grace; where warriors like us are no longer needed. It can be better than the promised afterlife that my worshipers once imagined for themselves. But not even now I can do everything alone.
"You can flee from it, but you know the truth. Your place is here, among the ones you had protected, those who will need your guidance in the future, and those who loved you even though it was made difficult for them."

Rainbow listened silently, and Moon saw on her face that her words were making an effect. Rainbow's brows furrowed, and her jaws pressed tightly together. Moon decided to give her a literal push, gently urging her toward the lodge she intended to go into. Rainbow glanced at her, meeting her expectant look.

Moon waited respectfully until Rainbow returned with an unfamiliar stallion by her side. He was young, almost a colt. Immediately upon seeing her, he stared at her in foal-like wonder. And another one also emerged… her own minister.

"Greetings again, Mister Rich," Moon humbly bowed her head. "I am here on business."

He looked at her with suspicion,
"Weren't you…"

"I am still just as dead as I was before, Mister Rich. But that is too long of a discussion for now," Moon momentarily glanced at Rainbow, who looked like someone had thrown a heavy weight on her back.

"I believe that it is time." The white stallion quickly said something to Rainbow in a coarse language Moon did not know. Rainbow beggingly looked at him. Snarling, Rich spoke instead.

"This is Lord Snow Strike," he said. "He wants to make your acquaintance."

"Does he now?" Moon tilted her head. "Very well. Would you kindly interpret for us? My name is Moon; I hold no titles and have no official powers. I am honored to speak to a Lord," she bowed more pronounced.

With a sigh, Rich spoke the phrase back to Snow Strike, who excitedly answered back,
"My retainer told me much about you," Rich interpreted. "I wanted to meet you for a long time."

"A retainer?" Moon stared at Rainbow. "My Lord, I cannot say the same. Had I known that you were here this whole time, I would have come much sooner. How may I serve?"

Rich was cringing this time,
"You are a fascinating figure. Is it true that you are responsible for raising and lowering the Moon and the Sun for the entire world?"

"It used to be true. I have not done so for a long time. There are others now," Moon decided to leave the details unspoken for the moment. She did not trust this "Lord" just yet.

The Lord was visibly disappointed,
"You are also known as a great sorceress."

"That is true," Moon said shortly. "Shall I demonstrate?"

"Yes, please."

Moon wouldn't let such an opportunity go to waste,
"Sister? Would you be my assistant for this magic show?"

"Uh… okay?" she said unsurely.

Moon took off one of her rubies from her mane and gave it to Tiny. She eyed the stone curiously. Moon then opened a rift and produced a shining sapphire of the exact same size, shape, and cut. Then another, and another.

"Look," Moon levitated the stones to the stallion, "each one exactly the same, perfect shape as my own. I can create a thousand more right now if you wish. Each one is as real as these ones, and all perfectly similar."

Rich took a couple of moments to interpret, as Snow Strike stared enchanted at the gems, twinkling softly with moonlight as they swayed slightly in the crystal empire's magically warmed wind.

"You can create riches out of nothing?"

"I can do much more than this," Moon said while staring at Rainbow. The pegasus's eyes were glued to the ground, and her face was a mix of anxiety and impatience.

"My power is beyond the reach of average unicorns, who are responsible for casting magic in this land. I can shape the very world around us with little more than a thought. But perhaps let us stop at me offering you more gifts for you to take back to your land. You seem to be in a hurry, if your retainer is any indication."

This time, Snow Strike was the one to glance at Rainbow,
"We could delay some more." Rainbow visibly shrank at the words.

"Very well. Was there anything else you require of me aside from curiosity?"

"I wish to engage in diplomacy as well. We could trade."

"My Lord, I fear I have nothing to trade nor hold any power to establish relations. After my death, my titles are void. The fact that I live again changes that none. Perhaps it is best if you return in several years; I will direct you to the ruling princess then."

Snow Strike was quite obviously disappointed, just like Moon intended. This foreigner was no use and, therefore, could only be trouble. If she discouraged him sufficiently, it might be enough to overcome his obvious curiosity. She did showcase her power, but she did so in a mundane way. Moon's expression was entirely unreadable, but she was smiling from ear to ear internally. A true master could deceive without speaking a single falsehood.

"In that case, I would like to go for now," Rich interpreted.

"Of course," Moon said, bowing again. "I would require you to give me a destination first, however."

"Mount Aris would suffice."

"This way, please," Moon opened a purple tear and stepped aside. Both Rainbow and Snow looked at it with suspicion but entered.

"Don't go anywhere, Tiny. And see to it that Mister Rich doesn't disappear on us either; I have business with him too," she said before disappearing into the tear as well.

"This is the Dreamrealm, Rainbow Dash. Or rather the interconnected fabric of it, all stretched out before us. Those white orbs you see are dreams. I can visit any single one of them or each one at the same time. Their placement is not random; the space inside the Dreamrealm corresponds with the waking world. We will exist just as we entered and be at our destination as quickly as walking through a portal."

"Uhhh… Okay? Why are you telling me this, exactly?" Rainbow said, curiously looking at the myriad of dreams around her.

"Inside the Dreamrealm, I can create any shape, object, or creature I wish. I could restore your youth, make you an immortal alicorn; I could even make you a true goddess. Here, flesh is just as fluid as the dreams you conjure at night, and all your wishes can come to pass. Upon reemerging, your gains shall not be lost, as opposed to simply waking."

Rainbow snarled,
"What do you want me to say? I am not going to lick your shoes no matter what you offer."

"And I want that not. Do you imagine I would ask you, if it is your worship that I desired? No, I have no need of that. Instead, I wish to aid you because any and all of your future successes further my goal. I know you are worthy of power; your loyalty will not allow you to misuse it. You could do great good in Equestria... but if you are determined to leave, it matters not in the end. You will still do good for ponykind. So tell me: how can I help?"